Joseph a



PATE NTE D 73361 EW JANMISQS @glatten Qtatrs detriti @fibra JOSEPH A. MILLER, OF NEWv YORK, N. Y..

Letters .Patent No. 73,361, dated January 14, 1868.

IMPROVEMENT INASH-SIFTERS.

T() ALL WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:

Be it known that I, JOSEPH A. MILLER, of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented a new and useful vImprovelrrent in Ash-Siftersor Cleaners, of which the following is a full, clear,- a'nd exact description, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawing, forming part of this specification, and in whieh- Figure l represents a plan of an ash-cleaner in illustration of myA improvement, and' Figure 2 a vertical section thereof, taken as indicated by the linie :z: :v in iig. 1.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

My invention relates to cleansing ashes by washing them, in contrad'istinction to sifting themin afdry state or condition, and consists in the employment of a water-box or case made up ofupper and lower chambers, as established by a dividing screen or grate-shelving,or inclining upwards towardsvone of its ends, so that, in washing the cinders to cleanse them of ne ash, dirt, and dust, by filling the box with or introducing water thereto, the ashes or cinders may be worked or jerked towardsv andv up the incline, by means of, a hoe or other suitable device to facilitate the separation and extraction of clinkers. And, furthermore, said invention consist's in providing the lower chamber of such a divided box with a gate or outlet for the water to carry o with it thene ashpand dust separated from the coal or cinder in the process of washing. This my invention may either be put into practice as a permanent fixture or structure, for use either on a large or small scale, as desired.

Where desired for domestic use, it may bemade portable, but forA manufacturing purposes need not be so.

Referringeto the accompanying drawing, A represents the upper chamber and B the lower one of the box,.

established or divided by a series of grate-bars, 0,'inclining upwards, at or towards the one end of the box, or

joining other bars D so arranged. Instead ofsuch a grate, a perforated plate may be used, but it is preferred to use bars -running in direction of thelength of the box, with the inclined bars situatedin front, though a diiierent construction or disposition of thebars may be adopted. The lower chamber B is shown, provided with a. sluice or gate, E, to allow of the water and ine ash or dust to run olf. To cleanse ashes or cinders, the-ashes are thrown on to the grate, and the box filled with water, when a man with a hoe orother suitable device gives `them a jerking-motion, and draws them towards and up the inclined portion of the grate, where clinkers are easily extracted, and which action assists the cleansing process. Where there is anabundant supply of water, an

opening in the lower chamber may be established, by lifting the gate E, or otherwise, so as to allow of a constant stream being used, and carrying oii` the fine ashes and d ust with it; but where water is scarce, the chamber B should be kept closed, and the same water used till the fine ashes Aand dust accumulate below to the height o the grate, or thereabouts, when they may be hauled out. j

' Ashes thus cleansed are cleaner than when sifted in a. dry state or condition, and there is no dying about of objectionable dust.

What is here claimed and desired to be secured by Letters Patent, s

The combination, in a. box or case, of the upper andlower chambers A B, gra-te C D, the one portion, D, of which inclin'es upwards, and sluice or gate E, for` cleansing ashes or cinders by a water-process, essentially as herein set forth. l

JOSEPH A. MILLER. Witnesses:

J. W. Coombs, A.V Ln CLnnc. 

